Someone Irresistible (12 page)

His body went rigid again. Thankfully she wasn’t looking at him, but at her creation, which gave his eyes ample opportunity to linger on the two soft mounds of flesh that pushed up so perfectly against red satin.

Red satin. Jesus.

Nathan bit down hard and briefly closed his eyes, scrubbing one of his hands over his face, making every attempt to erase the thought of

Mimi, standing before him, clothed in nothing but a red satin corset.

Red satin against pearly white skin. Red satin as the only barrier between full pale breasts and hard red nipples—

“There,” she said matter-of-factly, standing back. “This is how I envision the side of the jaw—sort of curved at the tip, though still with enough room for the teeth, which I’ll get to later. What do you think?”

She sounded normal, and Nathan braved a glance at her face.

She looked at him innocently, giving him that damn smile again.

“It’s fine,” he managed to croak out.

Her smile faded. “You didn’t even look at it.”

He dropped his gaze to the mold on the table. “It’s fine,” he repeated, rubbing his sweating hands together in his lap.

Several long seconds passed in deathly quiet before she softly asked,

“What did you think about our kiss, Nathan?”

He looked back into her dark eyes, his breath catching from the intensity he saw in them as they probed his. And that was the moment everything fell into place. The moment he knew exactly what she was doing.

Anger hit him hard, and then just as quickly it dissipated and something more potent replaced it. Something carnal. She was playing with him, though how far she’d take her game was anyone’s guess. Still, he now understood deep within exactly what she wanted, and it startled him more than he could ever put into words.

With full comprehension at last, he drew a long breath and raised his body to stand before her, his face only inches away from hers, his erection probably visible, should she look in that direction. But she didn’t; she kept her glorious eyes locked with his.

Smiling dryly, he leaned toward her until his knuckles rested on the tabletop. “Every second of your lips on mine was kissing at its perfection, Mimi,” he whispered. “And I, for one, will never forget that perfect moment.”

Her jaw dropped open a little and she took a step back, blinking in sudden confusion, a blush creeping into her cheeks once more.

“Oh,” she managed on a slight breath of air.

She’d never expected such a detailed disclosure on his part, and he took a large measure of pride in his ability to disconcert her.

“But the problem as I see it,” he continued, his voice low and harsh,

“is that our relationship, if one could call it that, is built on mistrust, resentment, and calculated awareness that will only take us nowhere.

The fire you started the night we kissed is banked. Let’s keep it that

way.”

Standing rigidly, he gazed down into her fierce brown eyes. “I think I’m done here for today. I have an appointment elsewhere and sadly must leave your company.”

Her features went immediately slack in surprise, then tight with an irritation she couldn’t mask, but she said nothing. Brimming with satisfaction, he pushed his chair back and brushed by her, striding to the door.

Pausing at the threshold, he placed his palm on the knob and turned back to her. “I’ll be here tomorrow precisely at ten, Mrs. Sinclair.”

She stared at him without comment, which made him swallow a bitter chuckle. She might have started the game, but he’d won this hand and they both knew it. By sheer willpower on his part, smart, beautiful Mimi would remain exactly where he placed her in his desire to discover the truth.

« ^ »

N
athan sat across from Justin Marley, in the dimly lit back room of Black Lion’s Pub, where his friend suggested they take a late luncheon.

Smoke saturated the air; noise and laughter from brawny tradesmen tossing back drink drowned out the steady rainfall of the soggy afternoon. Black Lion’s Pub wasn’t normally a place that saw the likes of highly educated gentlemen, but Justin was right in that the food was fair-priced and hearty, and it was a most excellent spot for personal discussion since nobody seated within hearing distance cared a damn about them or their private conversation. Most patrons were drunk or getting there, as the work day was essentially over, and there was little to acknowledge about Marley and him, dressed in standard clothes of the middle class, talking over pints of ale and a meal of beef stew, cheddar cheese, bread, and pickles.

Their dialogue had been rather mundane thus far, as their discussion moved from the nasty turn of weather, to local interests, to politics.

Justin stayed clear of mentioning paleontology-related matters,

probably because he knew first-hand how Nathan didn’t exactly enjoy discussions about the elite scientific establishment and their new discoveries and theories right now. But he wasn’t there to discuss that anyway.

Nathan swallowed a chunk of cheddar, followed it with two large gulps of ale, then relaxed against the wall behind his head to admire the view.

A luscious barmaid, probably no more than twenty years of age, flirted with a man who sat among four companions only two tables away. Strands of her long hair fell loosely from her chignon and over her bold cheekbones, the blond, silky tips spilling into the man’s drink, still in her hand, which he didn’t seem to notice or mind. Her hair wasn’t quite as dark as Mimi’s, but it was thick and pretty. So was she, in a rather robust, loud way. Her voice was more high-pitched than Mimi’s, and her teeth were already starting to yellow, as he’d noticed when she’d served the two of them. But then she had a hard look about her, as many common women did when they were forced to work.

Mimi’s loveliness would naturally outlast this woman’s, though Mimi would always lead a sheltered life, remaining in the background of experience while assuming her position at the forefront of protected society. Just like all ladies of her station. For a second Nathan considered how very sad it would be to exist without the freedom to explore all facets of the world, an opportunity he had been given at an early age, not from income or social status, but from desire. It was his opinion that women of Mimi’s natural vitality should be given that opportunity as well—within reason, of course. Not all ladies deserved the liberty, surely, and most of them probably wouldn’t want it. But ladies with intelligence and stamina, and especially those with inborn curiosity like Mimi’s, merited such an independence, in his opinion. The amusing thing was that he didn’t know one other man who believed that.

The barmaid burst out with rowdy laughter as one of the men playfully grabbed her breast, and she swatted his hand away lightly. Her breasts were marvelously large, which she showed off to their full advantage. Mimi’s weren’t so full and round, and they likely hadn’t been groped by strangers, either. Warm, smooth, and perfectly fitted to his palms, that’s how he imagined Mimi’s breasts to be. Their mystery simply fascinated him, and he wondered for a lustful second what the Widow Sinclair would do if he grasped her in a playful gesture like that.

But then Nathan had never found time or interest in playing with a woman. Bedding her was one thing, but playful teasing was something he didn’t understand or take much pleasure in.

Still, he could envision Mimi swatting his hand away in fun while she laughed and encouraged him in a husky, coaxing tone. She would be frisky before a good round of lovemaking, and although it shocked him to think of her like that, he couldn’t seem to stop himself. She’d tease him, then moan loudly when he took her nipple in his mouth. It would taste—incredible, and again his mood darkened when he considered that Carter Sinclair had been the first, and possibly the only, man to taste and hold and caress those nipples… nipples Nathan had very nearly seen this morning, or might have with one simple lift of his hand, one touch of a finger to push that red satin aside. One stroke—

Stretching out long on his bench, Nathan clasped his hands together on his lap to cover his erection brought on by his drifting thoughts of red corsets and blond females, annoyed with the whole bloody bit of it.

He needed a woman badly, he supposed, but he was not going to tell that to Marley in so many words.

“Where the devil is your mind today, Nathan?”

He turned to his friend, who watched him curiously from across the table.

“My mind?”

Justin smirked as he wiped a hunk of bread along the inside of his bowl, gathering up remnants of his stew. “I’ve been talking for minutes about the damn market and you haven’t said a word. What’s getting at you?”

Nathan had no idea to which “market” Justin was referring, but he didn’t mention that. Instead he eyed the man carefully, considering how best to broach this delicate subject while admitting to himself that further delay was futile. He needed advice and he had no one else in London to ask. And Justin, ever the good, calm, rational friend, waited patiently, stretching out on his bench seat as well, one leg propped up on the wood, his back to a window, arms crossed over his chest while he chewed, focusing on Nathan with bland curiosity expressed on his full, pinched brow.

“I fear I’m going mad,” Nathan finally said, straight-faced.

Justin chuckled, reached for his mug, and took a long swig of ale.

“The lovely widow, eh?”

Nathan shook his head, averted his gaze and lifted a chunk of cheese.

“It’s very little to do with her.”

“Really,” Justin stated with clear disbelief.

Attempting to relax a little, Nathan took an unwanted bite of cheddar for something to do and chewed slowly to give him time to consider his

reply. Seconds later, smiling sheepishly, he admitted, “It’s obvious, I suppose.”

“That you’re besotted with the lady? Not at all.”

Nathan’s lips curled into a wry grin, and he raked the fingers of one hand through his hair, watching the buxom blonde’s swaying backside when she finally moved off to the other side of the room.

“I’m not besotted with anyone,” he countered. “Just—needy in a general sense.”

Justin followed his lingering gaze, then nodded in understanding. “I see. So what are you doing here talking to me? Or rather, I should say, pretending to listen to me? You should instead be looking for a woman to satisfy your lust.”

Nathan sighed. “It’s more complicated than that.”

Eyes widening in surprise, Justin remarked, “I can’t imagine how.

Mimi Sinclair may be a widow without a man, but she’s hardly one who would expect advances from you and then act on them happily.”

“Actually, I think she would.”

For a moment Nathan wasn’t certain if Justin heard that whispered reply in the boisterous atmosphere around them, and he was equally uncertain of whether he could repeat it should he need to. The notion alone made his head ache at the temples.

Justin cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter. “What makes you think that?” he asked skeptically, and a little confused.

Disregarding the flush he felt creeping up his neck, Nathan looked to his hands again and tapped the tips of his fingers together in front of him. It was now or never he supposed.

“She did something this morning that I’m not sure I understand.”

“Well, of course she did,” Justin returned at once. “Ladies frequently do things we don’t understand.” He reached for his ale once more and took another long drink. “They all baffle me, really.”

Nathan drew a long face, his lips tightening with building inner frustration, the smoke irritating his eyes, the noise growing raucous to his ears. “That’s not what I mean. She’s actually quite… knowledgeable to talk to—surprisingly sophisticated for her age. Even… I don’t know.

Intelligent.”

“Indeed,” Justin replied. “A rarity, to be sure.”

Nathan didn’t know if the man mocked him, teased him, or spoke in total truth as he believed it, but he ignored the comment.

Uncomfortable, he looked out to the blond barmaid again, who had certainly never heard of the word “transmutation.” much less offered a

definition of it. In a tight whisper, he disclosed, “I think Mimi’s trying to seduce me.”

Justin laughed outright and heartily. Nathan could feel his skin growing hot beneath his clothes as his body broke out in sweat. He turned his head and gave Marley a hard stare.

Justin raised his mug in toast. “Here’s to you, my friend. May we all be one day fortunate enough to have beautiful, needy widows at our heels.” Then he swallowed the remaining brown liquid in three full gulps.

Frustrated now, Nathan tightened his jaw and leaned over the table.

“You don’t understand. She didn’t say so in words, and she didn’t…

approach me.” He fisted one hand and rapped his knuckles on the table.

“She’s been far more subtle than that, which is the confusing part. If a woman is asking for a romp, I think I would know. I don’t with Mimi.

I’m only guessing, and frankly I don’t know what to do about it.”

Justin exhaled loudly, his dark features growing serious as he eyed him with candor. “What exactly has she done?” he asked, placing his now-empty mug back on the table.

Nathan turned a hunk of bread over twice on his plate, stalling. This was the embarrassing part. How to tell a longtime friend about the slight, innocent view of provocative underthings you weren’t certain were meant for you to see in the first place. He dropped the bread and ran his hand over his face. God. Better just to blurt it, he imagined, no matter how foolish he might look for being so completely ignorant about women and their motives.

“This morning, without shame,” he began, staring at his half-eaten food, “she unbuttoned the neck of her gown in front of me—four buttons—”

“You counted the buttons?”

“Then she stood and leaned over to work with her clay.” He glanced up to find Justin suddenly engrossed, a knowing smirk on his mouth.

Nathan dismissed it and continued. “Her gown dropped open directly in front of my face—”

“—You lucky man—”